Baseball game board



A ril 8, 1924; 1,489,649

J. F. WHITE BASEBALL GAME BOARD Filed June 21, 1923 rlamesFWlzz'Ze INVENTOR WITNESSES XMJMM ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES OFFICE.

JAMES FRED WHITE, F HOCKERVILLE, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOB F ONE-HALE TO JAMES LEO I-IARRIS, OF HOCKERJVILLE, OKLAKOMA.

. BASEBALL GAME BOARD.

Application filed June 21, 1923. Serial No. 646,802.

To all whom itv may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. WHITE, a citizen of the United States, residing at l-Iockerville, in the county of. Ottawa and 5 State of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Baseball Game Board, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to game appara tus, and the object is to provide a simple and inexpensive apparatus in the form of a board, for the playing of a game having the principles of the regular game of baseball, the game being adapted to be, played by two players who may carry out the. plays made in the game by means of a small ball or marble.

Another object is to provide a game wherein the course of the said ball or marble is hidden from the view of the players until the same finds lodgment in one of the compartments, the uncertain course of said ball being caused by a battle board within the apparatus, whereby all chance of directing or controlling the course of the playing ball or marble. is eliminated, preventing all possibility of cheating by the players A. full and complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accom panying drawing forming a part of this specification; it being understood that while the drawing shows a practical form of the invention, the latter is not to be confined to strict conformity with the showing thereof, but may be changed or modified, so long as shch changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention, as specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawing, in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures Figure 1 is top plan viewof the improved game board.

Figure 2 is a vertical, longitudinal section of the same.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the baffle board removed from the casing. V

Figure 4: is a detail perspective view of one of the deflectors.

The game apparatus comprises a shallow same and joinedfthereto at the rear end by a back wall 3 and side walls 4. The

side walls, 4 are provided at their front ends with extensions 5 extending from the bottom substantially half-way up to the top edges thereof, and the bottom board 2 extends to the ends. of said, extensions 5 so that the said bottom is somewhat longer than the top board 1. The front ends of the opposite extensions 5 are joined by a lower front wall 6, and the ends of the side walls 4, at the beginning of the extensions, are joined by an upper front wall 7 so that there is, an open space or cavity at the front end of the casing or housing into which the operator or player may read ily see. a

The said open space or cavity is provided with a plurality of longitudinally disposed partitions 8, equally spaced apart, the same extending from the bottom board 2 to the top edges of the extension and secured to the lower front wall 6 and to the upper front. wall 7 so as todivide the said space, into compartments 9, each having a special designation, painted" or otherwise produced on the bottom of the same, such as the Words Foul, Hit,- Strike, Ball and Out.

An inclined baflie board 10 is secured within the casing or housing and has its rear edge elevated to within a short distance of the underside of the top board, 1, and at a point somewhat to the rear of the transverse center line thereof, the said top board as well as the bottom, board being oblong in shape, with the longer sides thereof coinciding with the side walls 4: of the apparatus.

The front. edge of the inclined baflie board .10 is suitably bevelled to merge into the upper surface of the bottom wall or board 2, and is secured to the same at a point beneath the front face of the upper front wall 7, while the rear edge of the baffle boa-rd is secured to a vertical strip 11 to close the space at the rear, upper end of said baffle board. 7 p

The battle board is provided with a plurality of braille. pins 12 driven into the upper face of the same in staggered relation, the same forming diagonally-disposed squares, as clearly shown in Figure 3 of the drawing. The outer or marginal rows of pins 12 are spaced from the side edges of the baffle board, and said space is filled with a series of triangular blocks 13 suitably secured to the upper face of said board, the apices of said blocks contacting with the adjacent pins and forming deflectors for co-acting with the pins to cause the playing ball to take an uncertain or unexpected course, as will be described.

At the longitudinal center of the top board 1 and at a point immediately in front of the aforesaid vertical strip 11, a hole 14 is formed in said tOp wall and overlying the upper inner end of the baffle board, and through the same is adapted to be dropped a ball or marble 145 which may be formed of any material heavy enough to gravitate down said board to be deflected in various paths by the pins 12 and blocks 13, if the ball should take a side path of travel, and to be finally directed into one of the pockets or compartments 9 so as to carry out a certain play in the baseball game and to count accordingly in the game.

The top board is provided with a baseball diamond 15 including the home plate 16 and first, second and third bases, 17 18 and 19 respectively, as well as a representation 20 of the grand stand, all of which may be painted, stamped or otherwise produced thereon, as well as any other desired representations, the hole 14 occupying the position of the pitchers box, at'the center of the diamond 15, as usual.

A suitable cover, indicated in dotted lines at 21 in Figure 2 of the drawing, may be employed to protect the apparatus when not in use.

In playing the game, one of two players having the first play, drops the ball 1a through the hole 14, and said ball strikes the baflie board at the upper rear end thereof and starts toroll down the same towards the pockets or compartments 9. During such movement the ball contacts with a pin and is deflected to one side or the other and may, at times, be caused to contact with the marginal blocks 13 which prevents the same from rolling straight down the board at the margins thereof. Suppose the ball enters the compartment counting as a hit, the player will then place a man or runner, in the form of a button, checker or other article on first base 17 and said player has 7 another play.

base 18 and a new third runner placed on first base 17. Should a fourth hit be made, the player counts one run or score and so marks on a piece of paper. If the ball rolls into the compartment marked Foul no action is taken and counts for nothing. If the ball rolls into the compartment marked Out it counts as one man out, and three of such counts retires the side and the other player then plays. If the ball rolls into the compartment marked Strike three times it retires the runner and counts as one out, and three of such counts retires the side and when the ball rolls into the compartment marked Ball four times it entitles the player to place a man on first base and to advance all runners ahead of such. man thus resulting, at times in a run or a score. After each player has played until he has had three men retired, it is counted as an inning and when nine of such innings have been played, it is called a game, and the players will count up his scores and the one havin the greater number will be the winner of the game.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple, cheaply-manufactured and easily operated game apparatus has been provided which may be played in a manner to have all the'interest and fascination of the regular game of baseball. and that the principles of the game may be followed out with considerable detail, the device having no parts to become lost or to get out of order.

What is claimed is: y A game apparatus for playing the game of baseball, comprising a hollow, box-like casing having an extended lower portion at the front, said extension being provided with a series of compartments therein, each compartment being open at the top and marked to indicate a different resultof each play in the game, said casing having a baseball field shown on the upper face thereof,

and having a hole at the pitchers position through which a ball may be dropped, an inclined bafile board located within the casing and extending from a. point in rear of the hole and declining forwardly to the said compartments, upstanding pins carried by the board in staggered relation to each other, and triangular deflector blocks at the sides of the board, the pins and blocks serving to deflect the ball, when dropped through the hole, to cause the same to seek one of the compartments.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto atfiXed my signa-' ture.

JAMES FRED WHITE. 

